DA Snippets - In the warm afternoon sun
by The Niorah
Summary: Short snippet/One shot. Lady Trevelyan finds herself in an embarrassing position, only to be surprised by the turn of events. Takes place somewhere along the story of Dragon Age: Inquisition. F/F romance. Rated M for light smut/femslash.


"In the warm afternoon sun"

The last dying noises of the battle were dissipating quickly as the air was still trembling from the last waves of a spell. Everyone was sheathing their weapons just as Cole's voice, sweet as young honey, started droning in his typical monotony.

"Maker help me. I want to lick the sweat between your breasts. I want to kiss the scars on your soft skin. I want to bite your tight muscles until you moan and exhale my name in my ears..."

The Inquisitor slowly turned her head until her eyes were fixed on the naive spirit's in a steel gaze. "Cole? How many times have I talked to you about this? Thoughts are private things, that's why people don't speak them out loud in the first place."

Dorian's look darted around immediately to watch the reaction of Cassandra, standing just a few paces to his left. His tone was as irreverent and as teasing as ever, with a touch of pure joy added to it.

"-I- do not think of breasts that way. Cole does not think of -anything- that way. And dear Cassandra lacks the words and skill to be so poetic in her passion. So that leaves..." His eyes shifted swiftly. "My, my. Lady Trevelyan."

The grin on his tanned face, accentuated by his perfectly trimmed moustache, could have lit up a Thaig by itself.

Cassandra suddenly felt the urge to stare stubbornly at a piece of rock in front of her feet, a light blush colouring her high cheekbones.

The Herald looked at Dorian and Cole with a stern expression on her face, the long scar running across her left eye gracing her with a much needed menacing effect. "Give us a moment. Head for the camp, we will meet you there shortly."

Cole's voice was almost breaking as Dorian caught his elbow and gently started them on the way, chuckling softly. "Why is it wrong to speak thoughts out loud? It's what one thinks. It's the truth. How can it be wrong?"

The mage tried to patiently explain as they walked away. "Well, you see, people are not good at handling the truth, for one. And then you should also consider..." his voice trailed off in the distance, muffled by the light wind.

The Inquisitor slowly walked the few steps that separated her from Cassandra, painfully aware of the awkward position she had put the Seeker in, even if unwillingly. She did not like the deep frown between her dark eyes, and she liked even less the fact that she was the cause of it. It seemed that the former Right Hand of the Divine had no intention to divert her gaze from that poor rock that had been the focus of her attention thus far.

Lady Trevelyan was frantically trying to come up with a way to break the silence. Out of the few options floating in her head, she decided to go for the most direct approach. She took a deep breath as her hand was coming up to Cassandra's face. Her fingers caught her chin and she guided the Seeker's face up to meet hers. A small smile tugged at the corners of the Herald's lips as she suddenly struggled to find the right words.

She was not given the time to speak at all. Cassandra's voice was slightly trembling as it left her throat, whether out of rage or embarrassment was an unwelcome mystery to the Inquisitor. "Is it true? Were those really your thoughts? And most importantly, were they really about me?"

The smile disappeared from Lady Trevelyan's lips in a heartbeat and her hand left the Seeker's face to fall back to her side. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She had to own up to her feelings, and she had to be forthcoming about it if she even dreamed of salvaging at the very least an uneasy friendship with the woman she was so desperately in love with.

Her piercing eyes stared at Cassandra for a few eternal instants before she let out her reply in one breath.

"Yes."

There, now it was definitely out there. It could change everything, possibly for the worse. But Cassandra deserved her honesty. She inhaled deeply and she went on.

"I am sorry. I should have talked to you about this sooner. And in private, obviously. I regret not doing so. But please understand. We are in the middle of a war, and you have made it clear enough that nothing should distract us from our final goal of defeating Corypheus. And then of course I don't even know if you would... if you could... be interested in me. At all. In a romantic way I mean..."

The Seeker interrupted her abruptly. "Why? Why me?"

It was a genuine question, with not a hint of irony behind it, and it hit Lady Trevelyan right in the guts. Should she shrug it off and dismiss it with a quick and witty 'Well, that's how love works, you don't get to decide whom you fall for!', or should she try to back away and hide behind a stoic 'That is my business and mine alone.', or should she... yes, she should go for the truth. For a moment, Dorian's words to Cole rang in her mind: 'People are not good at handling the truth.'. It gave her pause. Then she squared her shoulders, looked right into the Seeker's eyes and let the answer flow from her heart.

"Cassandra. You are a formidable woman. You are strong, compassionate, fair. You are not afraid to change your mind nor to stick to your convictions. You have a keen, inquisitive intelligence that is simply captivating, your energy is contagious and your heart is always in the right place."

The Seeker's eyes were shifting from Lady Trevelyan's gaze to her lips and back again as she was talking, almost searching for a sign of deception or manipulation, finding none. The shade of suspicion on her face was slowly turning into curiosity and... was this hope? The Inquisitor took one more step and stood not an arm away from her. Cassandra thought for a moment that she could feel the heat emanating from her body, even in the cool breeze. She shook her head slightly to regain focus as the Herald's voice went on, in a much softer, deeper tone.

"And I find you incredibly attractive. I sometimes look at you as you train and I cannot help wondering how your muscles would feel, flexing under my fingertips. When you talk to me, I find myself thinking of how soft your lips might be on mine."

The Inquisitor decided to go all in, it was all or nothing at this point. She took another step, and Cassandra half stumbled backwards instinctively, her shoulders suddenly bumped against the rough trunk of a tall tree. "My hands are itching to unbuckle your armour, to slide your shirt down your arms, my tongue wants to lazily run up your neck and my ears' only desire is to hear your breath get quicker..."

In a moment of perfect clarity, carried by the passionate words that were dedicated to her, Cassandra made up her mind. She didn't need to hear any more. Her hands grabbed Lady Trevelyan by the leather collar of her armour and in a swift move she pivoted them around, turning the tables, pinning the Herald against the very same tree. In one breath she closed what little space was left between them and her lips captured the Inquisitor's in a hungry kiss. Their lips parted almost immediately to let their tongues exchange hot, long caresses. Their hearts beating faster, they could almost taste the eagerness in each other, the need for each other, their desire building up.

Just as suddenly as she had started this, the Seeker stopped and pulled back. Her eyes delved deep in Lady Trevelyan's, her finger sprung up to point at the Herald's nose in a mockingly threatening way as she spoke as clearly as she could.

"I can. And I am. Interested in you, that is. But you will have to court me, properly, if you want any of your fantasies to become a reality, Inquisitor. So I suggest you get to it."

With an insane effort Cassandra dragged herself away, turned around and started walking towards the camp at a brisk pace, not looking back. A big grin opened on her lips as she could easily imagine the stunned expression on the Herald's face.

Lady Trevelyan was extremely grateful for the solid tree behind her, keeping her upright and on her feet as her knees were slightly weakened by the hormones raging through her veins. She considered for a second that she must be sporting the most ridiculous smile. Then she felt like the heaviest weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Then her eyes went wide at the full realisation of what had just happened. Then a burst of renewed energy started buzzing through her as her legs finally managed to work again and she found herself jogging to catch up with Cassandra.

Her eyes sparkled in the warm afternoon sun.

Courting her?

Challenge accepted.


End file.
